HaigNews SUMMER 2021 HAIG HOUSING’S NEWSLETTER Congratulations from all at Haig to our Patron, Her Majesty The Queen, on the occasion of her 95th birthday. TRUST NEWS • TENANT NEWS • EVENTS • FUNDRAISING • INFORMATION TRUST NEWS Introduction by the Chief Executive unfortunately we’ve lost good start putting things right. Please companions on the way. It’s let us know if things aren’t right. been a struggle but if we stick together and look out for each We are also looking at how we other we will get there. As our can improve customer service gardens spring into life and the to do a better job for you, our beneficiaries. We are going to flowers bloom, I hope we can redesign the website and improve look forward to brighter days the tenant portal. We want to ahead. communicate better, for example I’m trying to visit as many estates by sending text reminders for as I can; it’s really enjoyable visits and appointments. Please meeting so many special people – make sure we have your correct you, our tenants. If you can spare contact details, especially mobile time, please stop to chat – I love phone and email if you have I cannot believe how quickly to hear your news! We recognise them. that times have been hard, but time flies when you’re busy – I’ve really been struck by how I’m struck by how much we can I’ve been at Haig six months much of a family we are and I do to look after each other. If already. It’s been a strange hope that we can grow together. you’re struggling please get in time for all of us with shielding, We have some wonderful, vaccinations and emerging touch, we will try to see what we dedicated staff who will try to do from lockdown. We’re starting can do to help. We know that their best for you. Together we the slow process of rebuilding maintenance has suffered over want to be ‘Proud to be Haig’. our lives, visiting old friends and the last year, we’re accelerating hopefully making new ones. our plans to do more and will Tim Stockings It’s not been plain sailing and spend an extra £2m this year to June 2021 Highlights of this issue 5 Tribute to Bill Cunningham 14 Puzzle page 6 Results of the Tenant Survey 16 The story of Shirley Denson 10 Fundraising and her fight for justice for her husband 12 Keith Winter and the Islander aircraft 19 New! ‘small spaces’ gardening restoration competition. Competition results To celebrate our Patron’s 95th birthday and her long HM The Queen was born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on the association with Haig we bring you this beautiful front 21st April 1926 and celebrates this day privately. Her official page photograph of Her Majesty The Queen opening our birthday as monarch is usually marked by the Trooping Centenary Development in Morden in 2019. the Colour Parade in London on the second Saturday in The background photograph shows her when she was June and a scaled down celebration took place this year in HRH Princess Elizabeth, together with her husband The Windsor. Duke of Edinburgh, opening Haig’s Jersey estate some 70 years earlier, in 1949. 2 WWW.HAIGHOUSING.ORG.UK Cover photo by @AcutePix2019 TRUST NEWS NEW STAFF MEMBERS Congratulations David Waggott joined to Priyatharshini us in January 2021 as It has been a busy time Kishore, who has been our Senior Surveyor, for recruitment and we temping with us for the providing us with are delighted this year to last year, and has now technical and practical joined our permanent building surveying welcome the following staff in Finance as services and ensuring new members of staff: Assistant Accountant, that tenants receive in charge of payments a customer focused and payroll. service. Lindsey Chapple Robert Williams Sandra Hackett is our most recent joined the Trust in joined us in early recruit having joined March 2021 as our May 2021 as Finance us as Operations Finance Manager, Officer providing Officer in May 2021 with input into all essential admin to provide admin aspects of Haig’s support and support in the alloca- financial services assistance to the tion of homes to new and processes. Finance Team. tenants. IN MEMORIAM: PHILLIP JOHNSON On February 16th 2021 of the Trust, responsible our Operations Manager, for ensuring a smooth Phillip Johnson, sadly transition into suitably passed away after a long adapted properties for our and recurring illness, heroic injured veterans and which he had endured their families. with stoic courage. Phillip leaves behind his He was a valued and well wife of 38 years, Vicky, respected member of the and his two children Jamie Trust with careers in both 35 and Jessica 33. Jamie the Army as a Sergeant in returned from Australia the Scots Guards Band, to support his father and followed by a second mother through the last highly successful career stages of the illness, and in the Metropolitan Police was a great source of as a Detective Inspector, strength to the family. working out of Scotland Yard. He joined Haig Phill was a very special Housing in 2010 to help set person. We will remember up a strategic partnership him for his twinkly-eyed enthusiastic bike rider and caring, kind and a beautiful with Help for Heroes and quick wit that would fundraiser for Haig; a friend soul; truly a gentle man. He worked tirelessly to support always lighten the dullest as well as a colleague. He leaves a huge hole in our and develop the work of meetings. He was an was always supportive, lives, and our hearts. HAIGHAIG HOUSINGHOUSING || SUMMERWINTER 20202021 3 TRUST NEWS INTRODUCING THE TRUSTEES We have three more Haig Trustees here for you to meet who are all legal experts. Trustees are essential to the running of every charity. Our amazing Trustees give us support and guidance, and receive no payment for their time. You can read more about them all on our website. Neil White has been a trustee of Haig Housing since 2015 and is currently chair of the Estates Committee. Neil was a solicitor in Luise Locke has been a trustee the City of London for 40 years, specialising of Haig Housing Trust since 2017; in construction and property development. she lives in Edinburgh and is chair Latterly, he was also the firm’s General of the Haig Scotland Committee Counsel, responsible, amongst other things, as well as chairing our People for governance and regulatory compliance. Committee. She was a partner Neil is also a Trustee of the Sheppard Trust in an Edinburgh law firm from and the Orpheus Centre, a further education college for young adults with 1989 and thereafter called to the special educational needs and disabilities. Scots Bar 2000 to specialise in commercial, agricultural and Stephen Elliott has worked for over 20 years residential landlord/tenant law. in the London property market specialising in investment and development work for a Since 2006 Luise has been a variety of private and institutional clients. trustee of the Faculty of Advocates He joined Haig Housing as a trustee in 1985 Charitable Trust and was September 2015 on our Estates Committee appointed Chair in October 2014. to utilise his property industry experience Luise has also held directorships in and contacts for our benefit. private companies and graduated with an MBA from Edinburgh Away from work Stephen has a keen interest University Business School in 1999. in sport, particularly cricket and rugby, and volunteers as a rugby coach for London Scottish U13s as well as playing tennis. DAVID STEWART OBE Haig Trustee and Chairman 2003-2015 We are sorry to report the death of our much loved former Chairman David Stewart, who joined Haig as a Trustee in 2003 and became Chairman of Trustees in 2006. He was at the helm when Haig Homes, as it then was, moved from being a small, charitable, ex-Service social housing provider to re-launching as Haig Housing Trust, one of the foremost housing charities for ex-Servicemen and women nationally, and through its ‘Coming Home’ Campaign, highlighted the growing but unmet need for housing support for many of the country’s veterans – a pre-curser to the military covenant. He earned an OBE for his charitable work with Haig and his calm steady stewardship of the charity through its period of evolution paved the way for its achievements since, culminating in the Queen’s visit in October 2019. David is also much mourned by his beloved Surrey Cricket Club which he joined in 1995 and saw through a massive period of growth and development. He is the only man in the Club’s history to have held all three positions of Treasurer, Chairman and President and was described by his successor, Richard Thompson, as ‘in a league of his own’. David died peacefully in March 2021 at the age of 79, after a brief illness. 4 WWW.HAIGHOUSING.ORG.UK Family members Dee, her daughter Jaida, Sharon and Sarah-Jean tribute to bill cunningham Sadly, one of those we lost to the Morden estate, was unveiled at a The service was led by Haig CE Tim Covid earlier this year was Morden short ceremony on Tuesday 18th May. Stockings, who spoke about Bill and estate resident, Bill (‘Tractor Boy’) This was attended by his daughters his past life. Housing Manager Lisa Cunningham. We were therefore very and other family, who came from far Waterman, who knew Bill well and happy when his daughters organised and wide.